A/N: Hello everyone! I'm still alive (I think). Had to self-quarantine for about a week due to a mild fever and a cough, but I've been okayed to work again (even though I still feel exhausted). I start work again tomorrow, so I wanted to get this out before then. It's a bit of a filler chapter, but some important things come about, so it is necessary. Next chapter or two will show us the Sports Festival Arc (arguably one of my least favorite arcs in the anime, but whatever.) I'm personally looking forward to Stain. ^^

I hope you're all safe and healthy. Please try to keep yourselves in good shape, yeah? (Like I'm one to talk. Oof)

If you haven't yet checked it out, I did a bnha oneshot called Monochrome Rain. It's sad but it's also got a lot of Erasermic, which is my OTP.

Any fanart you want featured should be sent to [email protected] along with a name you'd like me to use in the shoutout.

Thank you For all the amazing fanart!! I have no idea how to do links on Wattpad. I'm so sorry.

Kaelan gave us this amazing image: https://i.imgur.com/HgEz4v6.jpg  and This amazing Image: https://i.imgur.com/AiIgnCY.jpg

If you've sent me Fanart for Viridian, and I haven't put the art up yet, I may have simply lost your e-mail in my folder. Please re-send it with 'fanart' in the title Reminder that the address is [email protected], not Gmail or mail (I may have typoed that in the past. I apologize. I'm a scatterbrain). We have a Telegram chat group, too. PM me on the app if you'd like to join. It's chaotic and a great way to kill time during quarantine.

~~~

Tsukauchi Naomasa was tired and overworked. It wasn't a pretty combo, but it was something he was used to. And the USJ case was a top priority right now. It had a ton of media attention and a lot of angry parents waiting behind the proverbial red tape. He shuddered to think of how Eraserhead was going to deal with that. He supposed his friend's main saving grace was the fact that he'd been grievously injured protecting said children, so the parents would hopefully go easy on the teacher (even if they didn't go easy on the school itself).

So, Naomasa had done the logical thing—he'd called in Viridian to help. The man had become their ace in the hole. He was a literal godsend. Not only was his information reliable, accurate and extensive, but the man himself was excellent at problem solving and a knack for seeing the details that the heroes and police had missed. If Viridian ever decided to become a detective instead of a hero, Naomasa would honestly hand in his badge. This man was far more capable.

He was privately glad the vigilante wanted to be a hero instead. He liked his job.

Eraserhead showed up first. "Hey, how're you holding up?" He asked the hero. The man was still practically a mummy, and he idly wondered if he was even supposed to be out of bed. He and Viridian have a lot in common.

"Actually, rather well." Eraser admitted. "I expected a lot of angry parents, but there were really only one or two. Some even sent me get well soon and thank you cards. Hagakure's parents sent me flowers."

"Huh. That's a nice surprise." Naomasa wasn't expecting that.

"Another student's parents came to thank me in person. Apparently word got out to the parents that I'd nearly died while trying to protect their kids, so that's probably got a lot to do with it. Though I didn't hear anything from Midoriya's parents." His brows furrowed.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"He lacks a medical record after he was diagnosed Quirkless, and he's completely okay with being bullied. He's underweight, and has more scars than most pros. He fights like it's second nature, and doesn't hesitate to kill when defending his classmates. What am I supposed to think? His parents never even came while he was in the hospital despite us trying to notify them, and the number we had on file turned out to be the private number of pro hero Hawks."

"When you put it that way..." Naomasa had to admit it was worrying. A student with prior trauma that he refused to elaborate on... He had some sort of connection to the Nomu—thus the League—but was not the alleged traitor. He nearly killed himself trying to protect his classmates and teacher, so they could safely assume he was on their side, but the amount of secrets this kid kept was worrying. It sounded like abuse or abandonment. "Maybe he's living on the streets? Abandoned by his parents when he was diagnosed Quirkless? It's happened before."

"I know." Eraserhead rubbed his face with his cast. "It would certainly explain a lot. I still feel like we're missing something, though. A lot of somethings. If he was homeless, then why would Hawks say that he occasionally stays at Midoriya's place? I doubt the number 3 hero would condone a child living on the streets."

"Right... I keep forgetting about Hawks." Naomasa felt a headache flaring up. "We'll talk a bit more about this later. Maybe Viridian can shed some insight."

"Right." Eraserhead glanced at the clock. "I'll go get him. He should be here soon."

Linechan,here!How'severyonedoing?Ihopeyou'vebeenokay...sorrywe'vebeengoneforsolong,Ireallyhopeeveryone'snotmad...

Viridian stretched his arms over his head as he walked down the street. It wasn't often that he was out and about in daytime hours, but Tsukauchi had asked him to come in for whatever reason, so he figured there was no harm. It was Saturday, after all, so no school. Keigo was kicking it back at the camper, trying to help Izuku brainstorm ways to explain his unique situation to the U.A. staff (because he figured that after he explained himself to Nezu, Shouta, and Hizashi, he'd probably end up having to explain himself to the rest of the staff as well).

He'd had to laugh when Keigo had mentioned a girl he knew that had a memory-viewing Quirk. They'd keep that as their last desperate option, because Izuku was neither keen on reliving everything, nor did he want to traumatize his teachers. He wanted them to believe him, not give them nightmares.

Some guy on the street stopped to stare at him with an awed expression. "You're the Shadow Hero: Viridian!" He cried out, and said vigilante stopped in shock.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Did someone seriously just recognize him? He'd never get used to that.

"Yeah, he's right! That's Viridian!"

"Can I have your autograph?!"

"How do you do it Quirkless?!"

"You're a true inspiration to all of us who don't have combative Quirks!"

"Hey, fucking loser! You're just a wannabe!"

Okay, that last one was much more familiar than everything else. "I feel like I should clarify something." Viridian scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm technically not a licensed hero. I just help out whenever the police need me. I'm technically a vigilante." The crowd was starting to make him uncomfortable.

"But you have to have a Quirk to be a vigilante." A woman said, walking up towards him. She was very beautiful, and if Izuku swung that way, he might even be flustered. "And you, sir, have no Quirk. So you aren't a vigilante. That means you're a hero." She leaned in further, showing off some rather impressive assets. It was only then that he realized that she held a recording device. "Nakamura Nira with the MC News. Mind giving me a statement?"

"Uh..." He didn't know how to respond. This kind of situation was not his forte. At all. "Sorry, I really don't have the time..."

"There you are, Viridian! You're late." Officer Sansa to the rescue! Viridian felt like crying in relief. He'd rather face a Black Nomu blindfolded than a reporter. He quickly jumped backwards, flipping so his feet hit the side of the building behind him, and sprung over the crowed that had gathered. He then wasted no time in sprinting the rest of the way to the station, Sansa watching in amusement the whole time (little bastard).

"Bout time you got here." Eraserhead raised an eyebrow as Viridian caught his breath.

"I hate crowds. I don't know how Limelight heroes do it!" He ignored the way the underground hero chuckled at his expense, instead opting to glare.

He fished out his phone when it buzzed.

ShadowSlayer: Dude!! You're on the news! Did u really have to springboard off the building?

ViridianChaos: Yes. Yes I did. U know I hate crowds.

ShadowSlayer: And yet ur typically so good with people.

ViridianChaos: Don't lie—it's unbecoming. We both know my people skills r shit.

He locked his phone and dropped it back in his pocket (Masa and Eraser had made him upgrade to a hero-grade smartphone, which he'd promptly disassembled and reassembled without tracers). "So, know why Masa wants to see me?"

"We'll explain in the office."

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Viridian tilted his head.

Eraserhead snorted. "As if we could actually catch you if you were."

"I mean, it didn't work the first time." He smirked.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Shouta looked incredibly amused.

"No idea about what?" Now he was lost. What the hell was Shouta getting at?

"You are one of the most powerful people in Japan, Viridian."

Said vigilante choked. He would've laughed but he knew that Shouta wouldn't joke about something like that. "W-what?! Me?! How?! Wh?! That's illogical!" He spluttered, flustered. Eraserhead gave him an amused smirk.

"You are so elusive that we had to make a partnership with you in order to actually speak to you face-to-face. You're listed in our database as the #3 Vigilante in. The. World." Okay, that was news. "And Number one in Japan. The fact that you're Quirkless—now globally known—means that you're damn near legally untouchable, and everyone knows it. You're the first unlicensed legal hero. The police made this deal on your terms, Viridian. If we wanted to catch you, you would just slip away again. And if we somehow did manage to catch you, the public would riot until you were freed. People are already starting campaigns to get you a license." He looked a shell shocked Viridian in the eye. "You really didn't know?"

Keigo would be rolling on the ground right now. "I don't exactly Google myself, you know." He hadn't searched up his vigilante name in months. He'd been a little busy preparing for U.A. and the like.

"Well, with your extensive information network, I thought you would've kept tabs on how the public saw you."

"As if I care how the public sees me." He shuddered as he remembered the crowd. "Though maybe I should."

"Glad you could make it." Tsukauchi grinned, beckoning them into the room. "Take a seat."

The two sat down. "So... new case?" Viridian ventured, now glad to be back on a familiar topic.

"Sort of; it's new to you. The USJ Incident." Both hero and vigilante stiffened. "When you first proposed our partnership, Viridian, you asked us to keep a lookout for Shigaraki Tomura. Well, we found him." Tsukauchi slapped a file down on the desk before the vigilante, who curiously picked it up. It was the file on USJ alongside photos and statements—including his own. "He headed the attack on U.A., and since you're after him, I figured you'd like to be brought onto the case."

"I'd very much like that."Viridian grinned. "So tell me, Masa." He laced his fingers together under hischin as he leaned forward. "What've you got on Shiggy?"

Hi!LineKunisback,motherfuckers!Watchmestealthespotlightandwowthecrowd!

It was three hours later that Viridian decided he hated police investigations. They were tedious and time consuming. Sure, he'd worked on plenty of cases with Masa and Shouta before, but this was a case his civilian persona was involved in.

"Maybe it's time for a shift in subjects." Eraserhead finally said, and Viridian sighed in relief.

"Thank you."

"We wanted your opinion on another case." Tsukauchi handed him another envelope. "It's not an official case, though. And we intend to keep it that way. It's about the wellbeing of a student."

The moment Viridian opened the file he really wished he hadn't. His own photo smiled back at him. Motherfucker.

"He's a student of mine. Midoriya Izuku. And until recently, we thought he might've been the U.A. traitor." Eraserhead explained. Viridian hid his unease well.

"All right? So what am I investigating?"

"I'm asking this as a favor." Eraser took a deep breath. "A favor to a friend."

Aw, shit. He's pulling the friend card. I'm so fucking screwed.

Viridian spent the next half hour listening to Tsukauchi and Shouta list out every little thing about his civilian persona that he'd tried to hide. The scars, the lack of medical files (damnit, he knew he'd forgotten something!), trauma, flashbacks, knowledge of the Nomu, suspicions of kidnappings or living on the streets... And for once, he really didn't know what to do. He had all the answers they were looking for, and in his current state of semi-panic, he couldn't think clearly enough to look at the situation objectively.

All he could think about was the pair of rings that sat under his vigilante uniform. The main connection between Midoriya Izuku and Viridian. He looked over the file and winced (internally). They'd gathered more than he thought they would.

"You said Midoriya was going to give you information after the Sports Festival, right?" He looked at Shouta.

"Right. That's what he promised me, at least. But I'm worried. If his home life is crap or he's living on the streets, then he might not survive until the Sports Festival."

Viridian was internally offended. I can survive on the streets just fine, thank you. An idea suddenly flickered into his head.

"I'll keep an eye on him, for you." He offered, and the two men turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're going to stalk him?"

"Just until the Sports Festival." He mentally willed them to accept his proposal. "I'm damn good at staying under the radar, you know that. I'll keep him out of trouble until the Sports Festival rolls around. It's just a couple of weeks, it'll be fine."

"This kid's a trouble magnet if I've ever seen one." Eraserhead groaned. "I have half a mind to join you."

Shit! No! Nope! Nonononono! "What, you don't trust me? Besides, that'll cut into your day job. And your weekend sleep, which we all know you can't function without."

"I can function without. God knows I had to with you running around all last year." He sent Viridian a glare, which he promptly ignored.

"No, I think Viridian's right. Let him trail the kid for the next two weeks—maybe he can pick up on some things we've missed." Tsukauchi spoke up, and Viridian felt like he could kiss the man in gratitude as Eraserhead hesitantly nodded along.

Time, I love you, Masa! You're officially my best friend!!

"Fine." Eraserhead sighed. "Just... please keep in contact?"

"Will do. Though I can't follow him passed U.A.'s gates... I suppose that'll be safe enough?"

"I'll talk to Nezu about granting you a pass later, if that's what you want." Eraser nearly bashed his nose with his cast in an attempt to pinch the bridge, and this time, Viridian didn't feel like holding back his laughter. He earned a glare for his efforts. "I'd like to see you move around with these stupid things on."

"But that'd require a hospital visit, and we all know that's not gonna happen anytime soon."

"We can hope it doesn't need to happen anytime soon." Tsukauchi chimed in with a glare. "Which reminds me, Viridian. Since Eraserhead's out of commission right now, I was hoping you could take over his patrol schedule."

The vigilante blinked. "Uh... is your agency okay with that? I'm not licensed."

"One, I'm an independent hero; I don't have an agency. Two, we're making an exception this time." Tsukauchi smirked. "Smile."

He smiled on reflex as a flash blinded him for a brief moment. "Wha?!" He heard the sound of a portable printer.

"Here you are. Your provisional Hero License."

Viridian stared at the small strip of plastic in shock. "This... this is a sick joke, you know that?"

"It's not a joke." Eraserhead stated. "The public rioted that you hadn't been licensed, and the hero committee looked over your numbers. They looked at how many criminals you've managed to catch vs collateral damage and decided to grant you a provisional license. You'll have another review in a few months, and they'll decide from there if you've earned the right to take the exam for the actual license."

"Well, you had a couple of different heroes vouch for you, too." Tsukauchi said. "The specifics on who were kept under wraps, but there're rumors that Hawks and even All Might recommended you."

"All Might?" Viridian blinked. "I thought he disliked the Quirkless...?" He looked at the ID Card again. "So... this is real?" He felt his eyes moisten.

"Sure is." Tsukauchi grinned. "Congratulations, Viridian. You're a legal Hero, now. The first Quirkless Hero the world's seen."

He quickly swiped the tears away, but they wouldn't stop. The two men shared a surprised look as his shoulders shook. "You okay?" Eraserhead asked.

"I never thought I'd ever... All my life people looked at me like I wasn't even human. They laughed at my dream of being a hero and... I never thought I'd ever have a shot at it. And now... I have a license."

"It is just provisional, so be careful. You can engage as you see fit, but try to keep casualties and collateral to a minimum. Any little thing can hurt your chances at the exam." Eraser reminded him.

"I know... But..." He looked at the card, which had a picture of his vigilante persona smiling back, only his eyes visible. The name Viridian was neatly printed at the top beside the word Hero.

"Thank you."

LineLineLineLineLineLineLineLineLineLineLineLineLine

{Cult of Viridian Chat}

[GayAFanimeBoi is Online]

GayAFanimeBoi: YEEEEEEEEEE!!!

DragoninaDress: ... Are you okay?

MoldiBroccli: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Demonic-Gay-Microwave: oh, god no. not again.

GayAFanimeBoi: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Noiscardily: Not another yee war.

Barbieisawhore: Better than Yeet vs Yote war. And definitely better than that Teletubbies sticker spam. *shudders*

MoldiBroccli: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

TheCakeisaLie: Don't remind me, I'm still traumatized.

GayAFanimeBoi: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Noiscardily: Can someone plz just explain what's going on??

MoldiBroccli: It's AMAZING!!

GayAFanimeBoi: INCREDIBLE!!

MoldiBroccli: A MIRACLE!!!

GayAFanimeBoi: A BLESSING I'VE BEEN PRAYING FOR!!!!

DragoninaDress: Still not an explanation, guys.

MoldiBroccli: Viridian got a HERO LICENSE! HE'S LEGAL NOW!! :D

GayAFanimeBoi: He's the world's first Quirkless Hero!! It's amazing!!!!!

Barbieisawhore: Ah, that explains your excitement. *Nods*

Noiscardily: Well, they are the two biggest Viridian fans on the server.

GayAFanimeBoi: And now maybe I can actually go meet him someday at a panel or something at HeroCon and thank him for saving my life!!! :D I can't WAIT!! AHH I'M SO EXCITEDAOIFAEOWFLAHLKFAWLEFLAIWHFEOWISDJ

Noiscardily: ... I'm going to bed. Night.

ManlyRiot: GB! GO TO BED!!

GayAFanimeBoi: EEP! Sorry, bro.

ManlyRiot: Don't apologize. GO. TO. BED.

[GayAFanimeBoi has logged out]